Ferndale celebrates 11th year as Tree City with planting

(Daily Tribune/DAVID N. POSAVETZ)
Ferndale Department of Public Works employees Sean Slocum, left, and Jeremy Hobbs plant a Japanese zelkova tree at Oppenheimer Park on Tuesday and children from the recreation department's summer camp program look on.

Ferndale officials and residents celebrated the community's 11th year as a Tree City with the planting of two new trees at Oppenheimer Park on Tuesday.

"We need to do an official tree planting once a year to maintain our credentials as a Tree City USA," said Mayor Dave Coulter. "It's a great program for the city and keeps us mindful of the importance of the trees in our community."

At the park, more than a dozen children from the city recreation department's summer camp program looked on as public works employees planted a locust tree and a Japanese zelkova tree.

Sean Slocum, a forester with Ferndale's Department of Public Works, estimates there are about 6,000 trees throughout the city.

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About 1,000 trees in Ferndale have been destroyed in recent years by the emerald ash borer, an invasive Asian beetle that has killed millions of trees nationwide.

Slocum has planted about 1,000 trees in Ferndale over the past decade through his work with the DPW. The city's Beatification Commission also has been involved in tree planting efforts throughout the city.

Ferndale is just one of more than 3,000 communities in the nation that have been designated as tree cities by the Arbor Day Foundation.

To get the designation, the cities agree to establish a tree board with an annual community forest work plan. The forestry program has to have a yearly budget of at least $2 for each resident.

"That's a small amount of money and Ferndale has exceeded that amount" in tree expenditures, said Loyd Cureton, DPW supervisor.

Tree cities have to enact a tree ordinance with guidelines for planting, maintaining and removing trees from streets, parks and other public places.

Ferndale offers small, medium and large trees to residents based on the location of where they will be planted.

Slocum said Ferndale gets money for planting trees through sales to residents and grants.

Slocum also offers professional advice to residents planting trees outside their homes. Even large trees need pruning, fertilizing and watering maintenance throughout their life span, he said.

"There is always competition between trees and lawns for water," he said. "We encourage people to put mulch around the trees to control the grass and control the temperature and moisture of the soil."